Coco Vandeweghe(United States) Biography

Coco Vandeweghe is a giant on the tennis court standing at 6ft 1ins. What she lacks in experience she makes up for in natural talent and ability.

She comes from good sporting stock, her grandfather Ernie Vandeweghe played for New York Knicks in 1950, her mother Tauna Vandeweghe represented the USA in the 1976 Olympic Games in swimming and again in 1984 in Montreal in volleyball. Her Uncle Kiki Vandeweghe is General Manager of the NBA Team Denver Nuggets and is a former UCLA basketball player. As well as being an athlete her mother was also Miss America in 1952.

Coco started playing tennis at the age of 11-years-old with her older brother Beau who is a freshman at Pepperdine on a volleyball scholarship. She first made her mark on the tennis scene when she entered the 2008 US Open Girls Singles on a Wild Card. After defeating 13th seed Elena Chernyakova in the first round she went right through to win the Title without dropping a set.

She was the first American girl to win the title since Tara Snyder in 1995 and she said afterwards;

"I'm on cloud nine now, this is my first tournament with the ITF and to do it at the US Open is an even greater achievement for me, I am just really happy right now."

In May 2010 she won the Los Angeles Open Women's Singles Championships and she began to make people sit up and take notice in the summer when she defeated World Number 2 Vera Zvonareva. They were playing at the Mercury Insurance Open after she had reached the main draw as a qualifier and it caused a big upset. She went on to reach the quarter finals but lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in a close match.

At the end of September 2010 she qualified for the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and defeated five Top 10 players en route to the semi-finals.

In November she was a surprise selection for the American Federation Cup Team after both Williams Sisters were sidelined by injury. Although she was outclassed in the competition Team Captain Mary Jo Fernandez stood by her decision to select her.

In July 2010 she was a roster player for New England's Boston Lobsters in the World Tennis Professional League.

Coco Vandeweghe has a massive serve and a great topspin/flat forehand, her backhand is also very powerful she's worked with coach Guy Fritz on her movement which she knows was her weakness.

At the 2011 Australian Open she was beaten in the first round by Alize Cornet.